Apple running supposed 'livestream' ahead of March 25's press event

AppleInsider · March 24, 2019 11:23PM

Drumming up publicity for Monday's press event, which starts at 10 a.m. Pacific, Apple is already running a purported "livestream" from the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, usually showing little more than a empty stage.

The stream nevertheless cuts between angles occasionally, also capturing empty seats. It's not clear whether it's genuinely live or staged, but Apple normally saves its bandwidth until minutes before an event begins, and some of the onscreen graphics don't appear to blend properly.

As of this writing the feed has been ongoing for hours. In that time only a few incidents have disturbed the stream's emptiness, such as a phone call from actor Chris Evans. Evans is playing the role of Andy Barber in "Defending Jacob," one of the many TV shows Apple may preview tomorrow as it announces an on-demand video service.

That service should mix original material with subscriptions to outside services like Starz, Showtime, and HBO, possibly at a cost of $9.99 per month each.

The event should likewise see the debut of an Apple News subscription service, offering access to various magazines and newspapers at a cost of $9.99 per month. To the disappointment of many it's thought that the Washington Post and New York Times won't be onboard, rejecting a rumored 50/50 revenue split.

AppleInsider will be live from Monday's event with updates as they happen.

NY1822 · March 24, 2019 11:42PM

I am not getting the live stream...is anyone else?

macxpress · March 24, 2019 11:49PM

It plays a very short video every once in a while. You just have to keep the stream going and you’ll eventually see it.

SpamSandwich · March 25, 2019 2:45AM

One of the images that flashed on the screen was the actor Chris Evans calling in as Captain America. There may be some kind of Avengers: Endgame tie-in here?

All-Purpose Guru · March 25, 2019 3:15AM

It was just running (Sunday, 6:35pm) a video of what appeared to be a high school rehearsal, with a young girl singing I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me.

22july2013 · March 25, 2019 3:26AM

It's mostly blank, but around 11pm I saw a couple of minutes of Snoopy and Schroeder on the screen. But what I saw gobsmacked me. The video of these Peanuts characters was being projected onto an invisible screen. I couldn't see the screen at all. They were floating just a few feet from the front of the stage. The spotlight that was on the floor looked like it was part of the video but it extended up to about a foot from the front of the stage. But that's impossible: there's no screen at the front of the stage. Either I'm an idiot and you're all gonna ridicule me in the morning, or I've spotted something really special. If you are still up this evening, wait for a video and see if you can see the same thing. Do a video capture. Could there be some special video projection technology in this theater? Could JJ Abrams be involved? Or am I just an idiot?

22july2013 · March 25, 2019 4:03AM

I posted an image from the 11pm EST Snoopy video clip on a free image website. Check it out here: https://imgur.com/LUyfCfi Please read the comments I put under the image. Common sense tells me I must be wrong, but I can't figure out how it was done. It's like seeing a magician pull out someone's chosen card from inside a peeled banana.

22july2013 · March 25, 2019 4:29AM

Okay, 15 minutes ago there was another video on the Livestream's theater screen. This was one of the Apollo landings, probably Apollo 11. But in this case the video, which I captured, was indeed projected on a screen behind the curtain, not in front of the curtain like the Snoopy image I uploaded above. I've been wondering if the Snoopy video was an augmented reality video that only the cameras could see, but that if you were standing in the audience you wouldn't have seen anything. That's what I'm thinking at the moment. But the fact that it was an Apollo landing video seems to suggest that Apple is thinking along the same lines as me when I posted on another page on AppleInsider that Apple could release the 2019 Mac Pro on July 20, 2019, exactly 50 years to the day after man stepped on the Moon. If I'm right about the augmented reality video, then maybe Apple will pull an augmented reality trick on us Monday morning, right on the stage. For example they could have some of their high profile celebrity guests appear on stage in augmented reality, right next to Tim Cook. If they can get the latency down low it could be like a FaceTime call, but in augmented reality. That's a darn good idea. That'll make headlines. Sorry about spoiling your surprise, Tim Apple. (Not really.)

22july2013 · March 25, 2019 5:26AM

Yup, the more I ponder it the more I conclude this is Augmented Reality. Apple will demo it tomorrow. Furthermore, I predict Apple will make an Augmented Reality equivalent of a FaceTime call with some celebrity tomorrow who will "share the stage" with Tim Cook even though the celebrity is 1000 miles away. I also speculate the celebrity will be a comedian. I see that Steve Carrel and Jennifer Aniston, who I would call comedians, are both on Apple's TV payroll and they could show up in augmented reality on stage. Tim Cook could come up to them and almost shake their hands. P.S. I just saw someone walk across the Steve Jobs theater stage (with a flashlight) at 1:23am EST, and as this shows that indeed there's not screen between him and the front of the stage, so this has to be an Augmented Reality demo.

bestkeptsecret · March 25, 2019 5:29AM

Thanks for you guys for keeping us updated!

iGlowEarth · March 25, 2019 8:29AM

As of right now (3:23AM CST (Yes I’m from Texas)), I watch on livestream on that website, it show CarPlay map and I think there’s new feature, it show “animate” buildings (2D or not sure if it’s 3D). In that picture above, it don’t show buildings like stores, offices, and houses... I know my English sucks. English’s my second language and American Sign Language is my primary.

Latko · March 25, 2019 9:13AM

22july2013 said:

Okay, 15 minutes ago there was another video on the Livestream's theater screen. This was one of the Apollo landings, probably Apollo 11. But in this case the video, which I captured, was indeed projected on a screen behind the curtain, not in front of the curtain like the Snoopy image I uploaded above. I've been wondering if the Snoopy video was an augmented reality video that only the cameras could see, but that if you were standing in the audience you wouldn't have seen anything. That's what I'm thinking at the moment. But the fact that it was an Apollo landing video seems to suggest that Apple is thinking along the same lines as me when I posted on another page on AppleInsider that Apple could release the 2019 Mac Pro on July 20, 2019, exactly 50 years to the day after man stepped on the Moon. If I'm right about the augmented reality video, then maybe Apple will pull an augmented reality trick on us Monday morning, right on the stage. For example they could have some of their high profile celebrity guests appear on stage in augmented reality, right next to Tim Cook. If they can get the latency down low it could be like a FaceTime call, but in augmented reality. That's a darn good idea. That'll make headlines. Sorry about spoiling your surprise, Tim Apple. (Not really.)

I expect AR versions of a new iPad Mini (without hombutton), a modular Mac Pro (as it should be), an iMac with smaller bezels and black Airpods. Then Cook will leave the stage for a political career, Joni will leave as Bentley Chief Designer and Phil will leave to purchase a better set of trousers.

macapfel · March 25, 2019 10:30AM

That is a self driving AppleCar live broadcasting its journey!

macapfel · March 25, 2019 10:39AM

And from what it says on the nav, it is here – and from there it takes 3h 02 min to the Apple Campus. All solved.

Image: https://forums.appleinsider.com/uploads/editor/9f/2b5tqgiya2yc.png

dedgecko · March 25, 2019 12:14PM

90 minutes to go! And new take on a countdown timer...

Thery · March 25, 2019 1:01PM

Why hasn't anyone tried to locate and meet the car driving in the stream? Could this be Project Titan?

gatorguy · March 25, 2019 1:08PM

Thery said:

Why hasn't anyone tried to locate and meet the car driving in the stream? Could this be Project Titan?

Apple doesn't currently have a California permit for a fully autonomous vehicle yet, at least as far as I know. Few companies do. But yeah Apple's current on-the-road autonomy software testing now approaching two years old is part of Project Titan.

I would certainly expect that based on all the innuendo that Apple will be discussing at least in brief all the "innovations" in their pipeline. They're at a point in the company where they find themselves pivoting from iPads and iPhones towards "software as a service" and that could make some investors nervous. Promoting cars and AR and other future tech that could include the hardware elements rather than simply software is a common sense approach to appease shareholders, potential shareholders, and long-time dedicated Apple users.

IMHO they'll discuss more than just the subscriptions services.

SpamSandwich · March 25, 2019 1:38PM

Latko said:

22july2013 said:

Okay, 15 minutes ago there was another video on the Livestream's theater screen. This was one of the Apollo landings, probably Apollo 11. But in this case the video, which I captured, was indeed projected on a screen behind the curtain, not in front of the curtain like the Snoopy image I uploaded above. I've been wondering if the Snoopy video was an augmented reality video that only the cameras could see, but that if you were standing in the audience you wouldn't have seen anything. That's what I'm thinking at the moment. But the fact that it was an Apollo landing video seems to suggest that Apple is thinking along the same lines as me when I posted on another page on AppleInsider that Apple could release the 2019 Mac Pro on July 20, 2019, exactly 50 years to the day after man stepped on the Moon. If I'm right about the augmented reality video, then maybe Apple will pull an augmented reality trick on us Monday morning, right on the stage. For example they could have some of their high profile celebrity guests appear on stage in augmented reality, right next to Tim Cook. If they can get the latency down low it could be like a FaceTime call, but in augmented reality. That's a darn good idea. That'll make headlines. Sorry about spoiling your surprise, Tim Apple. (Not really.)

I expect AR versions of a new iPad Mini (without hombutton), a modular Mac Pro (as it should be), an iMac with smaller bezels and black Airpods. Then Cook will leave the stage for a political career, Joni will leave as Bentley Chief Designer and Phil will leave to purchase a better set of trousers.

The Mac Pro definitely will not be mentioned or shown. That’s a different event, probably at WWDC or later.

SpamSandwich · March 25, 2019 1:41PM

gatorguy said:

Thery said:

Why hasn't anyone tried to locate and meet the car driving in the stream? Could this be Project Titan?

Apple doesn't currently have a California permit for a fully autonomous vehicle yet, at least as far as I know. Few companies do. But yeah Apple's current on-the-road autonomy software testing now approaching two years old is part of Project Titan.

I would certainly expect that based on all the innuendo that Apple will be discussing at least in brief all the "innovations" in their pipeline. They're at a point in the company where they find themselves pivoting from iPads and iPhones towards "software as a service" and that could make some investors nervous. Promoting cars and AR and other future tech that could include the hardware elements rather than simply software is a common sense approach to appease shareholders, potential shareholders, and long-time dedicated Apple users.

IMHO they'll discuss more than just the subscriptions services.

I don’t see the logic in that. It’ll be a tightly focused event. All the star power on stage will have people talking for a while.

beowulfschmidt · March 25, 2019 2:22PM

Did anyone see what happened when the "car" got to where it was going? I missed it because I had to g to a meeting.

macapfel · March 25, 2019 3:17PM

The stream switched to a drone showing a dark black Mercedes SLK. The door opened, Tim Cook and others sat around a small conference table, Tim Cook in the driving seat, but with his back to the front window. No steering wheel, no gear shift or anything like it. They got off the car, walking straight to the Steve Jobs Theater. It finally was mind-blowing again!
Ah no, that was just the hope. The stream just stopped.

Apple running supposed 'livestream' ahead of March 25's press event

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